When you suffer from joint or muscle pain, it is important to work on maintaining as much flexibility as possible. The more flexible you are, the less likely you will be to further injure yourself. One of the best ways to improve your flexibility is by stretching before you are active.

However, you need to warm up your muscles before you stretch. If you stretch first, you can actually injure yourself by pushing your joints too far. Spend a few minutes doing some light activity before you stretch. This can be as simple as a brisk walk or some basic calisthenics.

If you have been seeing a chiropractor, he or she may be able to recommend some stretches for you. Otherwise, you can use some of these basic techniques. There are two basic forms of stretching, static and dynamic.